“Re-discovering our Multicultural World through Community Theatre.”

The Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Arts and Culture, Eastern University Sri Lanka had organized an “International Community Theater conference-Batticaloa 2003” in Swami Vipulananthar College of Music and Dance from 24th- 29th July 2003 titled “Re-discovering our Multicultural World through Community Theatre.”

The review article that appeared in an International Theatre Journal

“On the second day of the conference we broke out of the auditorium and traveled to Seelamunai, the village where Jeyasankar was working with locals to develop Kooththu. Aside from papers, there were local performances and theatre workshops presented underneath palm trees in the village square. Not only did the village ‘sponsor’ the event by providing the venue (their square) and sumptuous meals, but they got involved with the discussions and workshops, and presented a stunning six hour Kooththu performance that went on early into the morning. For many delegates, the day was one of the most distinctive and memorable highlights of the conference Freed from the constraints of the lecture hall, it was possible to see the significance of the work in its context.”

(Michael Balfour, King Alfred’s College, Winchester, UK; Mick Mangan, De Montfort University, UK, (2004), Reviews: International Community Theatre Conference: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, 24-29 july 2003, in Research in Drama Education, Volume:9, Number:1, Carfax Publishing, UK, p.117)

The above statement reveals the capacity of the people who are in the Participatory Action Research Program to contribute to the process of democratizing knowledge, decolonizing research methodologies and to build up an organic form of community theatre based on Kooththu.

The fourth session of the conference was held in Seelamunai village for the whole day under the title of “Applied Theatre and Community Theatre.” The facilitator had narrated a story titled “My story of a Participatory Action Research: Performance as research & Performers as evidence” and panel discussions were held in six groups with the participants of the process under the title, “Reformulation of Kooththu and experience of the participant artists.” Originally the time allocated for the panel discussion was twenty minutes but at the request of the conference participants the community made it to last one hour.

“The strength of feeling demonstrated by the speakers at the conference was matched by practitioners in the villages. S.Jeyasankar, an academic at the Eastern University of Sri Lanka and skilled Kooththu performer, is conducting a practice as research project in Seelamunai, a village near Batticaloa. Jeyasankar argued that conventional research methods confine knowledge to the academy, and fail to involve the local performers in the village. As a response, he has developed research methods which aim to dismantle this authoritarian approach to knowledge and actively to engage the subjects of the research-in this case the Kooththu performers-in the debates. The success of this innovative methodology was demonstrated most clearly in the village itself, where performers argued passionately about the integrity of the form. One performer summed up the significance of Kooththu as a ‘powerful weapon against mass media’.”

(Michael Balfour, King Alfred’s College, Winchester, UK; Mick Mangan, De Montfort University, UK, (2004), Reviews: International Community Theatre Conference: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, 24-29 july 2003, in Research in Drama Education, Volume:9, Number:1, Carfax Publishing, UK, p.117)

The evening session commenced with the special address, followed by the performance and discussion of the Reformulated six hour long Vadamody Kooththu Titled “Simmasana Yuththam.” The title of the Kooththu was later changed to “Simmasana Por.” This happened on the request of Annaviyar Maththa Singam and discussions took place on it and finally the change was accepted by the community of the performers.

Creations from the Heart and Mind of Sekar!

Jewellery from the heart



By Jeevani Pereira

The first semblances of jewellery Shanmuganathan Chandrasekar remembers making were for his elder sister when they were hardly ten years old. “We were too poor to afford gold and I remember how she loved to have even a pair of earrings. I ended up making some out of leaf stems and then went onto make necklaces out of coconut leaves,” he said with a sad smile.

His voice betrayed emotion as he told us that in the early nineties his sister who was hardly into her teens and father had been killed during intense fighting due to the ethnic conflict, in their village Maddikaly in the Batticaloa District.

“This is how it has always been in Batticaloa Society. Gold jewellery is what is craved for by women and usually most of them cannot afford it. When they get married, they sell house and home to afford enough jewellery for status sake. That necessity often handicaps the beginning of a peaceful new life for a young married couple,” he remarked adding that among many things he wanted to change was the attitudes in people through his ‘fashion Jewellery.’

Most of all the creator of these simple yet exciting works told us that his jewellery collections was not only about earning money but mostly about sharing the art as well as much as changing the mindset of the society around him.

Going through the hand-made imaginative collection, a medley of sea-shell earrings and necklaces, handloom chokers and a beautiful pair of earrings made out of peacock feathers the woman in me was aroused beyond reasoning. I curbed, with the greatest difficulty, the desire to buy every single piece of jewellery that was on display. And Sekar, as he preferred to be addressed, smiled as he told me that it was the usual reception his work received.

Coming from an impoverished family whose situation was made worse after his father’s and sister’s deaths, Sekar said that he was determined not to give into the negativity that surrounded him. What gave him a new lease on life, he continued, was the ‘Third Eye’ which was Local Knowledge and Skill Activities Group founded by a local named S Jayasankar.

“Third Eye came about in 2002 to help young people especially from the villages of Batticaloa learn skills and acted as a forum for artistic expression,” he explained. “The Group has its own publications unit and workshops on painting and drama are done for young people besides other skills development programmes.” Thus, Sekar said he discovered himself taking part in Third Eye activities. It was through workshops that he realised he had a unique imagination and a knack for jewellery making.

“I suppose what started with my sister and what irked me about this obsession with gold and silver society has brought me where I am today,” he said with a smile adding that he started making small earrings and necklaces for friends who wanted to present them to their girlfriends in 2004. Then people I met from NGO’s, a lot of ladies saw my work and wanted me to make them small things,” Sekar continued. The demand for his jewellery began to grow in time and in 2007, he began to delve seriously into it after an opportunity to display his collection at the USAID Trade Fair that year.

“Batticaloa is known as the land of the Singing Fish, and some of what I create reflects that idea,” he said adding that his jewellery is very much environmentally inclined. “The handloom that I use for some of my pieces is from this area called Maruthamani which specializes in it in Batticaloa.”

Thus, discovering and improving himself each day, Sekar’s dream is to take his work to Colombo some day and maybe even abroad. “I want to further my knowledge of jewellery making at the Aesthetic Centre in India; but sadly I do not have enough resources for it but I know if I gain more experience, qualifications and add more value to it I will be able to take it beyond Batticaloa,” he said. “It’s not important how much I earn from it but I enjoy it as an art form, I want to learn more and be different in my skill; I want to make people see that there is Beauty and art in things beyond gold and silver,” he stressed.

For me, Sekar is a symbol of hope in this broken country and of the new generation dispelling the darkness created through years of disharmony and miscommunication. His hope and ideology despite all he has gone through, gave me hope that finally there is room to heal.

Dail Mirror
Saturday, March 14, 2009

A.J. Canagaratna: Knowing an unsung-belatedly honoured critic

It is gratifying to note that the late A. J. Canagaratna, a literary critic from the North has been appreciated by at least a few people in the South and by one or two in Thamilnadu, India, particularly when Historians of Lankan English Literature do not appear to have even heard of him.

Somewhere last month the ICES (International Centre for Ethnic Studies), courtesy the chief librarian, P. Thambirajah, organised a meeting to introduce a book in English a Festschrift titled AJ: The Rooted Cosmopolitan. I wasn’t there but I heard about it. Chaired by Haig Karunaratne, the speakers included scholars in the calibre of Dr Wilfrid Jayasekera, Dr Sumathy Sivamohan, Seelan Kadirgamar and journalist Lynn Ockersz.

The 250 page book is neatly divided into two sections: Collection of Essays on A J Canagaratna and Essays and Reviews by A J Canagaratna. The book also includes photographs of the late AJCA Lanka born Canadian academic, Chelva Kanaganayagam, has edited this volume.





The Southern writers who have written so gloriously on AJC are Regi Siriwardena, S. Sivanayagam, Harsha Gunewardena, Navaliyoor S. Nadesan (his was a translation from Thamil), S. V. Rajadurai (a Marxist critic from Thamilnadu), Thamilavan (again from the neighbouring country), K. Sivathamby, M. A. Nuhman (his article originally written in Thamil is translated into English), Suresh Canagarajah (Lanka born academic in the U.S.), A. S. Panneerselvan (from Thamilnadu), M. Pushparajan (his article in Thamil is also translated into English), Nirmala Rajasingam (Lanka born Londoner), Rajan Philips and A. Sabaratnam.

I was not sure whether the late AJC was a Marxist in the classic sense but most of those who had paid tributes to him happened to be Marxists of one kind or the other.

What was surprising to me was that when I read the second part of the book, I found that AJC had written excellent essays and reviews in English mostly to a particular and not so well known publication called Third Eye that was published in the East.

He has written reviews of books by Lanka born Londoner A. Sivanandan, Lanka born Canadian Shyam Selvadurai, Lanka born Londoner Rohini Hensman, Regi Siriwardena, Tissa Abeysekera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Lanka born the late Guy Amirthanayagam. AJC also had reviewed some Thamil books in the English language. Those Thamil writers are Mu Ponnambalam, M. Pushparajan, S. Pathmanathan, Santhan, S. Jeyasankar’s edited book, K Sivathamby and S.Ratnajeevan H. Hoole. AJC also as reviewed a book by a Thamilnadu writer named S. Jeyamohan.

Apart from the above AJC wrote an Introduction to Neelan Tiruchelvam Commemorative Conference Papers and above all a Preface and Introduction to the two volumes of Selected Writings of Regi Siriwadena.

Some of his other articles include Tambi and poetry, London, Some Heretical Thoughts on the Proposed Educational Reforms, Naatsaar Vedu Vs Proscenium Stage, Annai itta Thee: Ome Impressions, Some Reflections, Kimathi’s "Trial" was No Ordeal, From Decaying Aristocrats to Lumpens: Cine Yatra - a festival of Sri Lankan Cinema, A One-Woman Show: Rani Moorthy’s pooja and The Man who said "NO".

The late A. J. Canagaratna was not only a writer and critic in English but also an author of a few books in Thamil. He was an English Honours graduate from the University of Peradeniya. He had worked for the Daily News as a journalist. He edited a Yaalpaanam Co-Operative journal. He had taught in schools in Yaalpaanam and in the East. He was an Instructor in English at the University of Yaalpaanam.

AJC has written the following books in Thamil: Maththu, Marxiavaathikalum Theshiya Ina Pirachchananium, Avasarakaalam ‘ 79 Part 1, Maerxiamun Ilakkiyamun : Sila Noakkuhal, Ellalan Samathiyum Varalaatu Mosadiyum, and Senkavala Thalaivar Jesunathar.

The Illustrated Weekly of India, Times of Ceylon, Ceylon Observer, Third Eye and The Little magazine have carried translations of Lankan Thamil short stories into English by AJC.

The following anthologies also include AJC’s translations of Lankan Thamil stories and poems: Lute Song and Lament, A Lankan Mosaic, Favourite fiction: Stories from South Asia-Part 1 and Part 2.

To know more about AJC and his writing one must read this book published by Tamiliyal, 27B High Street, Plaistow, London E13 OAd, U.K.

K.S.SIVAKUMARAN

CALL OF THE COLOURES AND LINES OF VASAN 4

'Being a Tamil and Sri Lankan' by K Sivathamby: Review article written by AJ

'Being a Tamil and Sri Lankan' by K Sivathamby





Review article written by AJ

Review article written by AJ on 'Being a Tamil and Sri Lankan' by K Sivathamby, Aivakam, Colombo, 2005

I'd like to begin this review of Emeritus Professor K Sivathamby's book, perhaps the only senior Tamil academic living today, with the possible exception of Prof. Bertram Bastiampillai, with a personal anecdote relevant to the theme of this book. I entered the University of Ceylon (Peradeniya) in 1954. Having obtained the necessary grade in the First Examination I was permitted to read English in 1955. I had the dubious distinction of being the only male and the only Tamil in the batch of four reading English. This was one year before 1956, the year the Sinhala Only Act was presented in Parliament and passed with only the LSSP and CP voting against it. On the day the Bill was presented in Parliament, all the Tamil undergraduates in the various Halls of Residence decided to fast the whole day to protest against the injustice being meted out to our community. I too decided to fast in solidarity with my fellow-Tamils. By this time the debate about the Sinhala Only Act had already started and everyone had become conscious of his or her ethnic identity. This was inevitable, I suppose, in the emotionally charged atmosphere of the time. As a Tamil I felt it was incumbent on me to join my fellow-Tamils in the fast. This surprised my Sinhala friends who thought that as one reading English I would rise above tribal ideology. I was not impelled by any anti-Sinhalese sentiments or by tribal ideology. As far as it was possible under the circumstances prevailing at that time, mine was a rational decision to join in my community's protest against perceived discrimination and injustice.

This seemed to puzzle my Sinhalese friends in Ramanathan Hall where I was residing. They seemed to have assumed that as I was reading English I would rise above this 'tribalism' (in their perception). But my decision was a rational one (to the extent that rationality could be maintained in the highly charged emotional atmosphere prevailing at that time).

Like Prof. Sivathamby I too wanted - and want - to be both a Tamil and a Sri Lankan living on an equal footing with other citizens of Sri Lanka. And I certainly do not want to be treated as a second-class citizen: this is a feeling shared by many Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The articles collected here first appeared in the now defunct North-Eastern Herald. They are grouped here under six headings: Peace Process; Ethnic Divide –Its implications; Writers, Artistes and Intellectuals; Education; Media; Tamil Theatre, Tamil Music and Tamil Cinema; and Political Culture.

In this brief review I shall concentrate on the political pieces. This does not mean that the other pieces are not worth reading. Far from it; all the pieces are meaty and provide the reader with substantial food for thought. I concentrate on the political pieces because, in today's context, that is what most readers are interested in. Professor Sivathamby rightly points out that 'peace' means one thing to the Sinhalese and another to the Tamils. 'Largely speaking peace for the Sinhalese people is within the horizon when bodies of dead soldiers do not come back from the battle-fields of the north-east; when there are no sentry points which impinge on their right to free movement; when the coast of living comes down; when they can rest assured that there will not be bomb blasts in Colombo. For the first time since the war began, most of these have been achieved. It was clearly seen during the Vesak this year (2002). But in the case of the Tamils the situation is completely different. Most of us have lost our homes. We have to repair or build them anew. Our deeds and relevant documents are missing. Many of our public buildings, schools, temples and market squares are gone. Even if one wants to go back to resettle in his village there is very little to look forward to. In Keerimalai anyone who wants to take a bath has to be escorted by soldiers. What we understand by peace is first and foremost an environment in which this should not be repeated. Our people were affected by a complete shut-off of resources ranging from agriculture to education. Who will guarantee unimpeded access to such resources? How credible will that guarantee be? Peace without such guarantees would be meaningless.'

There is an important piece on Sri Lankan Tamil identity where he spells out the distinctiveness of the Sri Lankan Tamil identity. In the course of the piece he remarks pertinently 'If one traces the history of Tamil consciousness, one would see that their early efforts to assert and emphasise their identity was not in relation to other Sri Lankans so much as it was to the Tamils of Tamil Nadu.'

The Tamils have a general feeling that Sinhala Buddhist socieity is a 'therocracy'-ridden one and that [it] is this 'therocracy' which has paved the way for the ethnic conflict and is the biggest obstacle to its solution. This piece 'Sinhala-Buddhist understanding of Tamils: Communication Barriers' makes it clear that things are not that simple.

Referring to the 'community of Bhikkus', he says, 'The Sangha is a very important institution in any Buddhist society. And in the Sinhalese Buddhist society it is considered the moral guardian of the people. If the Tamil people want to know the actual position an ideal Bhikku occupies in that society, he or she should read the section on Asceticism/Renunciation in Thirukkural for, as we know, these concepts speak about a person within a society but completely devoid of worldly ambitions and pressures. An ideal Bhikku or for that matter a Jain monk draws his social power and eminence through renunciation. And this is something that is not met the in the Sanyasi concept of Hinduism. The Bhikku performs his role in society chiefly through the Dhamma Desena (lectures on the Buddha Dhamma). Through the Desenas he shapes public opinion at the village level. It is not left as that point. He oversees the application of his preaching in the day-to-day life of the people. And the more articulate a Bhikku is, the more respected he would be. Even today, audiotapes of leading Bhikkus are very much in demand. The Desena Tradition enables the Bhikku to inform, to persuade, to motivate to act according to the Eight-fold path (right way of thinking, of speaking, listening, etc). But this could mean that the Bhikku was able to persuade people on certain political lines. And being also the institution that legitimates royal authority in traditional society, it had virtually become either a consolidator of State authority or one who repudiates it. Thus the Buddhist monk is the axial factor of communication and culture Sinhala Buddhist Society. Therefore in Sri Lanka, the role of the Sangha became all important since the late 19th century in that its moral guardianship of society inevitably merged with the politicisation of the country, given the position of the Bhikku as the chief communicator in Sinhala society. As all scholars agree, resurgent Buddhism became a political force and was the motivating factor behind the rise of Sinhala nationalism. It is quite interesting to note here that in the resurgence of Buddhism in the late 10th [sic. 19th] and early 20th centuries, the Kandyan Sinhalese did not play as much an active role as the Karawas, Durawas and Salagamas of the low country. The Buddhist identity gave a social power, which they did not get from their traditional position in society. Thus their emphasis on Buddhism was more emphatic.' This passage and the ones that follow reveal his deep insight into Sinhala society and the role Buddhism played – and plays – in it. Some might object that Sivathamby has painted an idealised picture of the Bhikku. The answer is that he has pointed to an ideal type and in all religions (including the secular religion Marxism – a seeming contradiction in terms, an oxymoron; but Marx's fierce indictment of capitalist exploitation makes him sound like and Old Testament prophet. Indeed R H Tawney called Marx the last Schoolman) the ideal has always differed from the reality; in the flux of time the early idealistic fervour disappears and degeneration inevitably sets in. Other important political pieces are 'The Sinhala Percpetions of the South Indian Dravidian Movement'; the piece on Karuna titled 'Tamil Regionlism: Historical causes and Crocodile Tears' where he hits out at some Sinhala intellectuals who see in the Karuna split an opportunity to weaken the Tigers and wipe out Tamil Nationalism. I could go on and on, but I'm afraid I have already used more space than the Editor allotted to me. So I must stop here and make some concluding remarks. All the political articles are characterised by a reasonableness of tone. The author's chosen strategy is one of suasion. This doesn't mean that he pulls his punches or is mealy-mouthed. He is forthright without being needlessly offensive.

Is it possible in today's context to be both a Tamil and a Sri Lankan? I think it is, provided our leaders are statesmen enough to treat all communities as equal and guarantee this equality both in practice and constitutionally. Only time will tell whether the Sinhala political leadership can stop playing games of one-upmanship and indulging in political manoeuvring. It's high time they stop being fixated on a unitary state and think along the lines of a fully federal set-up to preserve the unity of this country.

In the meantime, I commend this book to the Sri Lankans of all communities as it will help to promote mutual understanding, which can lead to harmony. I have one cavil though. By writing in English, Sivathamby is preaching mostly to the converted or those who can be converted.

He should get this book translated into Sinhala and Tamil so that it reaches the readership which really matters, especially the youth, and in whose hands the future destiny of this country lies.

Interaction with an Installation Art Work by S. Nirmalavasan

Shells and seeds for chains and earrings:

By Maura O’ Connor

In a corner of his elderly mother’s house on a small lane in Seelamunai, Batticaloa the jewellery designer Sanmuganathan Chandrasekaram has carved out a small studio space on the floor where he can do what makes him most happy.

Sanmuganathan Chandrasekaram





“I lost my father and one sister,” said the 27-year-old art lecturer at the Eastern University. “Every day I am alone here. When I make this work, I feel happy because it is art.”

Using natural materials he finds outside--sea shells, coconut fibre, and seeds—as well as hand -woven textiles, Chandrasekaram has been making earrings and necklaces in bold colours and shapes for over four years.

“Mainly I use environmentally friendly materials,” he said. “I want to appreciate growth and nature.”
Some necklaces feature large medallions of polished coconut shell with abstract designs carved into them, while others are made from bright red, green, or blue string tightly wound to create colourful pendants. His earrings are often made from dark seeds paired with delicate sea shells.

Chandrasekaram attended Eastern University as a student of painting, drama, and traditional Tamil dance. After the tsunami struck in 2004, he began making jewellery as a way to support his mother and his education. Both his father and sister died in the early 1990s from shelling due to the conflict between government forces and the LTTE, he said.

Chandrasekaram later became a member of the Moondravathukann (Third Eye) Local Knowledge and Skills Activist Group, an artist collective that works to promote multiculturalism.

The group conducts workshops, seminars, and informal discussions in villages and universities in the east, and publishes a newsletter called “Moondravathu Kann” to engender dialogue and artistic creativity among community members.

Chandrasekaram said he has struggled to establish connections with other designers or jewellery buyers outside of Batticaloa, but his work has begun to meet with some modest success within the community--his first solo exhibition will be held on February 28 to March 1 at Batticaloa Hindu College.
Nonetheless, he said his earthy designs are still a difficult sell to his neighbours.





“Our people like gold,” he said. “I think it has to do with globalization, the way people feel gold is so important. If someone wears this jewellery or ornaments, it’s not accepted in society. In the future that will change.”

EXHIBITION AND SALE OF HANDMADE CREATIONS

FOR THE EXISTANCE OF THE WORLD

Santhan a bilingual writer of Sri Lankan Thamils

Introduction

Santhan has been writing short stories and novels in Tamil for more than four decades. His stories have been translated into English and published in local and foreign magazines (Illustrated weekly of India ). Besides writing short stories and novels, he also writes articles and poems.

He started writing in English in the late eighties and his first collection named The Sparks was published in 1990. His English writing appeared in local magazines and news papers.

A draughtsman by profession and a leftist by ideology, Santhan is known for his brevity of expression in form and content. His second collection titled In their own worlds was released by Godage and Brothers in 2000. The book was dedicated to Mr.S.Rajasingam, his literary mentor. His second collection of short stories was acclaimed by many critics. Santhan was adjudged the best writer in English for the year 2000 and awarded the State Sahitya award. Earlier he had won the prestigious literary award from the Government in 1975 for his contribution in Tamil.
The second collection of stories was followed by a collection of poems under the title of Survival and Simple Things in 2003. This book was dedicated to the late A.J.Canagaratna, a reputed literary critic. Professor Chelva Canaganayaham says “The pieces that comprise this collection constantly reflect a subjectivity that is understated.”

Santhan’s third collection of short stories The Northern Front was published by S.Godage and Brothers in 2005. This book was dedicated to Mr.K.S.Sivakumaran, a literary columnist who has encouraged the writer in many ways.

The present collection of Santhan’s writing gives a fair picture of his world. There have been criticism and comments about his short stories and poems. When I went through all the criticism I got a feeling that these should be collected and put into a single volume so that the literary world could have a complete and comprehensive picture of this rare Sri Lankan bird writing in English and Tamil. Since writing in English with a Tamil perspective is very limited and the only writer who writes profusely and sharply is Mr.A.Santhan, it is very essential and pertinent to introduce his literary world to the wider world in order to make the world know the life of the people in this part of the country and also to promote English writing in Sri Lanka .

Sri Lankan writing in English which falls under the broad banner of world literature in English should have more writers in order to capture the sense of human crisis prevailing in this part of the world.

English has become the most important language in the world and it could be a vehicle to carry messages throughout the world. There are writers in English from India , Nigeria , Sri Lanka , Pakistan and many other countries apart from writers from native tongues. There is a need for our writing in English to reach out to people of other cultures.

Another aspect one has to take note of is that many writers, from the native tongue write with much vigour and a rich literary flavour. Their writing could be translated into English and made available to the world.

In our context we had writers like Alagu Subramaniyam, Raja Proctor, C.V.Veluppillai, Thambiraja, and A.Thambimuthu. Santhan started as a Tamil writer and proceeded to transcreate his stories into English. Later, he transformed himself as a writer writing in English. His success lies in his use of brevity and the choice of themes. The themes are very down to earth and topical. They are also powerful in exploring the politics of the people with a keen insight. This is the justification for this edition of these critical essays on Santhan’s writing. I hope this volume will receive the attention it deserves from the literary circles in Sri Lanka and abroad.

Kandiah Shriganeshan,
Lecturer in English,
University of Jaffna ,
Vavuniya Campus,
Vavuniya.

The Children's Bard Somasundara Pulavar

The great bard of Thamils of Sri Lanka is also known for his virtuosity in children's poems. His poem on SCARE CROW is very famous among children.

Scare Crow is known as Veruddy and Kaththari Veruly in Thamil. Thirdeye is working with children on Veruddy with a different concept and the song of Somasudara Pulavar and the songs of the affiliates of the Thirdeye on Veruddy is being used for this creative activities.

Exhibition and Sale of Handmade Creations!!!

Handmade creations of Sekar of Thirdeye will be held from 14nth february 2009 to 15nth february 2009.

ANOTHER INCARNATION.... OR

Another Incarnation of .... or
Best Interrest of the Power Politics

This time
The bombs
That smashed over Gaza
Have no eyes, ears
And the senses too

It's too brutish,
Horrible and horrendous
Devastating and destructive
It's genuinely
A merciless act of terror

But the bombs
That smashed over Wanni
Have eyes
Nice and beautiful
Lotus like eyes
And have wonderful ears too
Which differentiate the sounds
Of mourning and the roaring
And penetrate to ponder the dreadful

Those who smashed to pieces
Child or an elder
May it be man or women
Who bore the children
In a wrong place
And at a wrong time

The bombs
That smashed over Wanni
Have incredible sense of sensibilities
That targets only the evils
And it becomes
Another God Incarnation

In order to save
The saints of democrats
From the hands of
Demonic terrorists
The inborn destroyers of
World peace and order

January 2009S.Jeyasankar

Call of the coloures and lines of Vasan 3

LIBERAL THINKING IN AN EMBATTLED SOCIETY

Date:13/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/br/2009/01/13/stories/2009011350031300.htm
Back Book Review
Liberal thinking in an embattled society
V. S. SAMBANDAN

AJ: The Rooted Cosmopolitan — A Festschrift: Edited by Chelva Kanaganayakam; Pub. by Tamiliyal; 27B High Street, Plaistow, London E13 0AD. Rs. 250.
Men of ideas and letters — teachers, litterateurs, and journalists, for instance — shine best when they work from settings to which they can relate to the most.
This collection of writings A J: The Rooted Cosmopolitan by and on Aloysius Jayaraj Canagaratna (1934-2006) (AJ), the Sri Lankan writer, critic, translator and journalist, is not only a tribute to a person; it is also a flashback to a country where decades of militarism has eclipsed the quest for intellectual pursuits.Intellectual expression
AJ’s succinct observation made in an (unpublished) book review of one of Sri Lanka’s intellectuals, K. Sivathamby, sums it all: “Like Prof Sivathamby I too wanted – and want – to be both a Tamil and a Sri Lankan living on equal footing with other citizens of Sri Lanka. And I certainly do not want to be treated as a second-class citizen: this is a feeling shared by many Tamils in Sri Lanka.” As another contributor points out, despite being “traumatised by the Sri Lankan state’s military adventure in the North,” AJ was “always sceptical about the grandiose plans of Jaffna Tamil nationalism.”
Conflicts invariably bring out the best — and the worst — in a society. Militarised civil conflicts, like that which has ravished Sri Lanka for over three decades now, broaden the canvas for expression of ideas.
There are broadly two choices open to members of embattled societies, particularly those who have the ability to articulate both the popular sentiments and the undercurrents of a conflict, and are willing to stand up and be counted. They could choose distant, safer climes to espouse their ideals, or do so from the thick of things. By all accounts as presented by the writers in this book AJ chose the latter; and he did so with a sense of intellectual commitment. As one of the book’s contributors, Rajan Philips notes in the piece Jaffna’s Literary Soul: “AJ stuck with Jaffna through its years of trial and tribulation. He walked the fine line between the occupying army and the infighting militants, but without sacrificing his intellectual independence.” Cosmopolitan
Of the several roles donned by AJ, that of a journalist from a troubled society merits detailed study. As editor and publisher of the Co-operator, “The journal of Jaffna’s once vibrant cooperative movement,” or as a moving force behind the unique, but now defunct Saturday Review, AJ’s role as a journalist is summed up by Philips: “He did not become a ghost writer or apologist for any of the Tamil groups, as many others did. AJ was not brought up to be a supine fellow traveller of any group, although he had views – critically reflective views – on all of them.” One of Sri Lanka’s leading intellectuals, the late Regi Siriwardena, in his article, which gives the book its name, sums up AJ’s approach to life aptly: “…together with his cosmopolitan culture and broad international awareness, AJ was also an intellectual deeply rooted in the soil of Jaffna, in its life, experience and language…” The book, published by the London-based Tamiliyal, has two parts. The first part is a collection of essays on AJ, with a selection of essays and reviews by AJ making up the second part.
The book is a flashback of not only the life and times of one of Sri Lanka’s accomplished writers, but also of a time when intellectual resistance was the norm, rather than an anachronism. The articles and narratives are a reminder of how rapidly liberal space can shrink when militarism overtakes a society.
© Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu

Forum in "Challenges of Alli": a Reformulated Kooththu

Forum Theatre facilitated by the 'Parai Araivon' the traditional drummer in "Challenges of Alli" a Reformulated Kooththu performance of Seelamunai Art and Cultural Centre and Third Eye Local Knowledge and Skills Activists Group.

In tradition, the character of 'Parai Araivon' faces opposition from the caste of Paraiyar because of its negative portrayal in Kooththu.

The character was reformulated with the participation of Annaviyars and Parai Melam Players as a positive one and developed as a facilitator to run a forum theatre followed by the Kooththu performance.

For more detail,
Pl. read
Playing with Parai Araivon (Herald)in Kooththu (Traditional Theatre)of the Thamils of Sri Lanka: From tradition to Reformulation.
A Journey through Participatory Action Research
Book: DRUM OF A HERALD
A THIRDEYE PUBLICATION

AJ: THE ROOTED COSMOPOLITAN

CONSUME NOTHING BUT....

Mind blossoms and spreads it's
Intellect frragrance of freedom

The fiercely forced silence
Is not destined
The concurrence with occupation

Physical languish
And the mental anguish
Distribute not the prospects

But arrogant minds fail
To conceive and consume
Nothing but resistance

S.Jeyasankar
December 2008

TEACHING HUMANITARIN RULE TO A CHILD

Oh dear my child
You have to wait at least
The age of eighteen
Until have to take refuge
Under the trees or
Behind the tree trunks
Or at your usual resident
Where you bury yourself alive
The bunker you inherited
As the house of yours
In the age of e.world

And you can keep it
For the future
If you can or if you have
A future
In the humanitarian world
As the heritage
Of your living mode
If you and all
Are save and alive
Under the barrages of
Shells and bombs of
The almighty liberators
Of you and all
Under the dark sun

SJeyasankar
December 2008

NOT THIS TIME

Papa brings you
This time
Not a bag full of gift
But a bag of grief
Filled with full of
Field fresh body parts
Collected from the
Grounds of battle
And you
You will be failed
If you try and find
The race in the limps
That scattered
On the grounds
The hands
That nourished
The tender limps
With love and oil
Squeezes its hearts
In grief and pain
Papa will bring you
The grief and pain
Of the hands that
Nourished with love and oil
And field fresh body parts
Collected from the
Grounds of battle

S.JeyasankarDecember 2008

THE POWER OF CLOTH AND POLE

ONLY TO THRUST
OR
ONLY TO GRIEF
OR
THE POWER OF CLOTH AND POLE

My dear friends
I wish to greet you all
But have words
Only to grief

My heart is filled full
With disfigured
And decomposed
Bodies and body parts
Of brothers and sisters
Scattered all around

And my mind
Is derailing with
The images of
Young disabled
With flying heart
And immobile body
In silent scream
With tears of blood

We all learnt
To call it
Differently able

But still not to learn
How to keep safe
The bold
And the enthusiastic
Youths

The children of
Hardly laboured mothers
From the inborn disease
Of warring man kind

My dear friends
I wish to greet you all
But have words
Only to grief

Where people
Do not know
How to live together
But to Kill each other

Only to thrust
A pole with a cloth
Call it as a flag

S.Jeyasankar
December 2008

Challenges of Alli: A Reformulated Kooththu

Kooththu photos which were captured in the performance held on 20th December 2008 at Institute of Swami Vipulananda Aesthetic studies for the festival on Swami Vipulananda memorial day.

The performances of the Kooththu, the traditional theatre of the Thamils of Sri Lanka was extended with a forum facilitated by the Parai Araivon, the traditional drummer.

Chinna Chinna Aanantham: An Exhibition of Hand Made Greeting Cards

LITTLE LITTLE HAPPINESS

AJ: The Rooted Cosmopolitan